Arthur C. Brooks presents his opinion on an idea gaining prevalence across the United States in his published article, “My Valuable, Cheap College Degree.” This new idea is a college degree which costs the student a total of $10,000, also known as the 10K-B.A. Inspired by a challenge to educators from Bill Gates, governors in the states of Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, and a state assemblyman in California have recently made efforts to make this idea a reality. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2011, the average tuition for just one year at a four-year private university was nearly $33,000. While the median inflation-adjusted household income fell by seven percent between 2006 and 2011, the average real …show more content…
Is it truly worth the extra $23,000? For some people, yes, it is worth it, but for others going away to college may be impossible due to circumstances and an online or through the mail class provides a chance for them to still earn a degree.
As quoted in Brooks’ article, “Predictably, this has stimulated antibodies to unconventional modes of learning. Some critics see it as an invitation to charlatans and diploma mills” (1). There are universities that send red flags. As it was brought up in the article, diploma mills are popping up all over the country. The news is full of for-profit universities that print useless pieces of paper and call them diplomas which will be granted to those who have not put the effort in. These non-brick and mortar institutions claim to be accredited, but they are nothing more than a hallway with rooms and people in a financial department spilling for services that are not accredited. For example, the wizard in The Wizard of Oz explains to the scarecrow that he does not have to go to college, all he needs is the diploma. A diploma means nothing without the blood, sweat, and tears put in to earn the degree. Just a rolled up piece of parchment paper with the word “diploma” written across it means nothing if there is not actual work put in to earn the credentials; however, it would be possible to make laws to ensure that a college or university is accredited before they can graduate students.
It cannot be said that those who succeed in
My opportunity costs while attending Bethel University on-line program is that I have less free time to watch tv and hang out with my friends. Most of my spare time is consumed with reading and doing homework. Bethel on-line program gives me the chance to work in the comfort of my home. I do not have to get up and put on clothes to attend to school. But in the long run, it will all pay off because I will have my degree in Organizational Leadership.
The average cost of public college for one year is approximately $9,650. Therefore to attend a four year college the cost is about $38,600. That’s not including fees, books, supplies, housing, meals, personal expenses and etc. Some students may also have to pay comprehensive fees. Of course going to a private college or even college out of your
A major problem for today’s high school graduates is the rising price in college education. Attending college can add up really fast; it can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars per year (Barkan 1). No wonder, in Steven Barkan’s book of social problems, issues and problems in higher education take up a full chapter. In this chapter, Barkan states that only 44% of all students who attend a four-year institution is lucky enough to have annual tuitions and fees amount to less than $9,000 per year. The aggravating question is, “why does college cost so much?” Not only is tuition part of the cost of college but also fees housing and meals, books, school supplies, and accessories (“What’s the Price Tag” 1). All tuition covers is the money for academic instruction. Fees are charges for specific services such as, internet access, and then the cost of books and school supplies add up. Additionally, one is not paying just for textbooks but also
In 2009-10, the average cost of tuition, room and board for undergraduates at public four-year institutions was around $15,000 and 8,000 for two-year public colleges. When you multiply the number of students in each segment by the average total cost, it amounts to a price tag of $127 billion for free public higher ed. That same year,
How would you feel if money were no object when it comes to obtaining something you really want, and know it will be of great benefit to you in exchange? In fact, what if I told you that a post secondary education can be of no cost to you or your parents, meaning no high interest rates, or additional fees to pay back. All you need is the desire to better your circumstances. No loan applications and debt required! Well, I wish that had been offered this proposition before graduating high school, and not worry about whether or not my parents could afford to send me to a traditional 4-year college. We are all currently sitting in this classroom to satisfy one of many required courses in hopes to obtain a diploma in return. Some may even be looking to transfer into a 4-year college or university. Unfortunately, the cost of college education is expensive and for many is a deterrent, and loans do not make it any more enticing. The burden in repaying student loans is enough to discourage many from ever stepping foot into a college classroom. However, as demands to fill high-paying positions in the job market increases, many are going vacant as most require college degrees. For many Americans today, high costs of colleges make it difficult to consider. Today I would like to talk about first, the problems of high costs in post secondary education, second, how this proposal has been a debate, especially among recent presidential hopefuls, and finally how a community with tuition-free
An ongoing key debate today in the United States, the home of the free and country full of opportunities, is whether or not college tuition should be free to all students. In the early 1900s, higher education was encouraged and seen as a “public good”, so it was paid for with increased tax revenues. By the late 1900s though, an argument arose that higher education benefited the individual; therefore, it was considered a “private good” in which the individuals and their families had the pay for it. This relates to the cost of higher education, whether higher education is affordable or not, especially for students from lower-income families. Also, where the responsibility for
There is no doubt that the cost of attending college has rapidly increasing in the last few decades. The average cost of attending a top college is approaching a quarter of a million dollars. Phil Izzo (2014) analyze data of college graduate class of 2014 and found that the average 2014 graduate with student loans will have to pay back around $33,000. Even after taking inflation into account, that is nearly double the amount from twenty years ago. As the price tag rise and average salaries downgrade, forty millions Americans with student loan will most likely not be able to repay their debt. Moreover, the cost of university per undergraduate has aroused by almost five times since 1983; while on the other hand, graduate salaries have been level
The overwhelming cost for higher educational institutions is causing a huge concern over whether higher education will be an attainable financial concept to the ordinary student in the upcoming years. Many Americans now tend to believe that the path to obtaining a degree has turned into distraught with financial traps. Recent studies done by the U.S. Department of Education show that “college tuition and fees have ballooned 1,120% since 1978. A year of college tuition for
Education becomes a part of most every individual’s life starting at a very young age. A majority of children are introduced to preschool or kindergarten around three to six years of age and school becomes a major role in their childhood. The idea of education being the only pathway to lead to a happy successful life is burned into the mind of young students. After growing up with education being an important role in their life these, now adults, feel obligated to continue with a postsecondary form of education. At this point, individuals start to question if attending a college is worth the risk of a lifetime of student loan debt. They also try to decide whether or not a college degree will result in a more financially stable lifestyle or if they are better off going straight to the workforce. The price of college has increased dramatically throughout the years which causes talented individuals to believe going straight to the workforce is the only thing they can afford and profit off of. If the price of college is what is keeping talented individuals away then that issue should be fixed. Most people argue that college should be completely free or that the prices should be lowered. When considering how a change in price for attending college would affect tax payers, students, teachers, and the education quality it becomes obvious that the cost of college should not be messed with.
The average cost of attending a private university, as of the 2015-2016 school year, was reported as $32,405 (College Data), and for some people that’s just way too expensive. I attend Houston Baptist University, a private university in Texas, where the estimated cost to attend is upward is $40,000. Many people would have to take out student loans to attend this or many other private universities. It was reported in January of this year
At this point in America, there is an increasingly intense debate about if education should be a right or a privilege. This decision can be discussed between Americans but for significant impact, the federal and state governments must act. Since Americans value the chance at an education so much, the cost for that said education should not be so expensive that it outweighs the rewards. Students in college now are accruing tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Some may not even earn their degrees. But because opportunity is important, the government in the United States must make it easier and more affordable for young adults to pursue their passions through a higher, college-style education system. The United States government should
College education costs are continuing to rise. The average cost of a private college tuition in the U.S. is “$34,740” for the 2017-2018 school year (Martin). The tuition costs have increased
A common misconception in our modern society is that the cost of college will pay for itself financially later in life, reaping only hard-earned economic success for students. Again and again society regurgitates the same cohesive message to America’s future generations: fiscal rewards are the most important benefit of attending university. In actuality, the hours of grueling, expensive work reap a multitude of benefits that cannot be priced. College is an important period in our life, offering endless exploration, personal growth and enlightenment about the evolving world surrounding us. The gift of knowledge is far more powerful and important to our culture and advancement as a global community than any number of material profits. I firmly
Today colleges are growing more and more necessary for attaining a solid path towards a successful career, yet the rapidly increasing cost of tuition is driving students away from their dream of attending college, due to the preposterous amount of money that is now being demanded by colleges across the nation and world as a whole. It is sad to see students being turned away from a successful future due to the money-hungry nature of the universities that dot the globe. More and more impossible it is becoming to have a “rags-to-riches” scenario that used to highlight the American Dream, as if a student doesn’t have the riches to afford a higher education and the tuition that is drug upon its coattails, then our society is doomed to be clothed in rags forever, unless major changes are brought about to restructure and end the indefatigable growth of tuition rates across the board.
The increasing cost of higher education in the United States has been a continuing topic for debate in recent decades. American society emphasizes the importance of education after high school, yet the cost of undergraduate and advanced degrees continually rises at a greater rate than inflation. According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors prevent 48% of college-qualified high school graduates from pursuing further education (McKeon, 2004, p. 45). The current system requires the majority of students to accumulate extensive debt with the expectation that they gain lucrative post-graduate employment to repay their loans.